Interviews in the Jets interview room and locker room after their 38-14 opening-day loss to the Patriots in the Meadowlands on Sunday:
HEAD COACH ERIC MANGINI
When talking to the team, the message is consistent to what we are always talking about: coming back and approaching every week the same. I thought we had a good week of practice, we had a good plan, but we didn't execute the plan as well as it should have been executed. That's all of us. It's coaching and players, across the board. Having those big plays the Patriots had — the kickoff returned for a touchdown, the long pass to Randy Moss — makes it tough. There were a lot of positive things in the game and a lot of things we can build off of. It has got to be more consistent through four quarters. You can't come into halftime in one situation and then make it really difficult for yourself, as we did in letting up a long return. That is what our focus will be on coming back next week, approaching it the same way, getting those things we didn't do well this week corrected and moving forward and making progress.
On the defensive pressure on Tom Brady …
I thought New England did a good job today with their mixture of running the ball and having the big people available, and when you have to commit to stopping the run, you bring him up in the box, which creates the opportunity for deeps plays. They had a nice balance there and it's something we will have to look at more closely.
On New England's offensive and defensive strengths …
We had a very specific game plan that we liked and there were a lot of positive things from the game. Anytime you give up the big plays, the momentum shifts and then the approach dramatically shifts. That's never really a situation you would like to be in.
On electing to punt on fourth-and-1 on the first drive …
You make a lot of those decisions during the game. At that point in the game, I thought it would be better to punt. We ended up punting and getting it down to the 9-yard line. The key is then being able to transition into a defensive mode and keeping it at that point.
On Chad Pennington's injury …
We will be looking at Chad and obviously analyzing where he is. We will just have to see as we go.
On Pennington's re-entry into the game …
With any injury, we have doctors on the sideline who I talk to, who will examine anyone, whatever the case may be, who has been injured in the game. We go by those discussions and discussions with that player before we put that player back in. It is very important to us to put the player in when we do feel he is able to return to the game and there is a process with that.
On inserting Kellen Clemens with seven minutes remaining …
In that situation you know what you are getting. You are getting a lot of hand in the dirt, firing off the ball. They are playing the pass aggressively, so that means they are rushing and want to have the quarterback be able to move over in the pocket. It was just the timing of the game and the situation of the game.
On the offensive line's pass protection …
They did a lot of positive things in the passing game. I thought we moved the ball effectively in throwing the ball.
On Thomas Jones' performance …
The plan was game-specific and for the opportunities he had there were some good things. Each week that plan is going to change based on the opponent and the strengths they have.
On Justin Miller not returning to game after sideline talk …
We were just talking about the way we wanted to play that defense moving forward. It had nothing to do with being angry at him about that play. It was more of "OK, if we see this again, if we go to this again, this is how I want you to play it next time." Anytime there is someone we need to examine, we have our medical staff take a look at it, that type of thing to see where they are. It was not coaching-based.
On New England's kick-return touchdown …
It's difficult anytime you give up a big play, but it was the start of the second half. If you are going to give up a big play, you have a lot time left at that point to recover from that play, to create drives and do things. There are going to be big plays throughout the course of a game. Adversity is going to strike and you just have to deal with it, move on and get to the next series.
On the versatility of playcalling with Pennington's injury …
You don't have as much flexibility in terms of move-in-the-pocket-type plays at quarterback. That wasn't really a big part of what we were trying to do today anyway, but those would be the plays that would be eliminated.
On New England's roster …
They have a lot of good players, whether it be wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks — they do a good job across the board. I thought they played well today.
On Pennington's scoring drive after his injury …
It shows Chad's character. We were in a certain situation, we put him back in the game, he drove them down. He was able to work through the distraction of the injury and be very effective in that drive.
On putting Pennington back in the game …
There is a process and player safety is important to us. We wouldn't put a guy back in a situation where we felt he would be at risk.
On Pennington going for an MRI …
I will have to talk to the doctor.
WR LAVERANUES COLES
On being concerned about Chad Pennington and his injury today …
I am just as concerned about him as I would be about anybody else. The main thing is that he is OK. That's what is important, his spirits and making sure he's all right. That's what's important to me as a person, more so than just football, making sure he is all right. He's a tough guy, he has fought through quite a bit. Just being a part of the team he leads and being a teammate of his is just great. It's an honor to play with a guy like that, to see him continue to fight the way he does regardless of the circumstance at that point in the game.
On the loss …
It has nothing to do with our coaching staff, that's for sure. They had a great game plan and put us in great positions to make plays. As players we have to look at ourselves individually and ask, "Did you play the best game that you could play today? Did you man up or did you get whooped?" That's one of the main things. We had one of the better game plans that I've had in a long time around here. My hat goes off to the coaching staff. As players we did not execute as well as we should have.
On the second-half kickoff return …
We, the players, have to do a better job of making plays. That is what it's about. The coaches can only do so much. The players have to look individually in the mirror to see what you can do to help your team.
On the fans cheering for Jets QB Kellen Clemens when he entered the game …
Fans are fans. We're the team. It's not going to bother me at all.
On his second touchdown reception …
It's a designed play. When we see a certain coverage, Chad puts the ball up. If they don't give us that coverage, then we're going to run the football.
On the Jets electing to punt on fourth-and-1 on the opening drive …
He's the coach and we're the players. He makes the decisions. We just support him regardless. It could have been fourth-and-less-than-an-inch, if he decides to punt, as players and as a group we stand fully behind that decision. I think he made the right decision.
On the Jets' outlook for the next game …
That's the great thing about this league, you never know what's going to happen. You can only play the cards you've been dealt. We still have a full week of preparation ahead of us. I don't think we know anything for sure about anything. Well, at least I don't, unless you all got some information that I didn't get. Once we find out where everybody stands and how everybody feels, we'll go from there. This is a resilient team. They chose these guys to be on this ballclub for a reason. We're all going to stick together and I'm sure we'll be fine.
On the gap in success between the Jets and the Patriots …
I didn't know anything about a gap. We still get to play them again. Whenever that time comes, we have a lot of ballgames in between where we have an opportunity to play. This was one ballgame, one out of 16. If we had just beat them twice but were 2-14, would we be good or would we be awful? You make your own decisions. It was one game.
On Randy Moss' play ...
I play offense. When I'm on the sideline, I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do when we go back in. I did not get the opportunity to watch whatever he did.
T D'BRICKASHAW FERGUSON
On today's loss …
We have to go out there and execute better. Obviously, the Patriots are a great team. I made some mistakes and there were some other mistakes made that we need to clean up. Tomorrow we'll look at the film and make the necessary corrections.
On the disappointment in losing the home opener …
Whenever you're not successful, you're going to feel certain reservations. We know we're a team and can recover from anything.
On Chad Pennington's toughness …
Chad is a natural leader. I think it speaks volumes whenever a quarterback can take a hit and still come back and play. He's definitely a great leader out there.
On whether the team will lose confidence…
I think confidence always builds. There're things we can do to improve ourselves. It's one game and we have many games to play this season.
RB THOMAS JONES
The game got away from us today. In the second half, they got the momentum with that kickoff return. It kind of went downhill from there. I think they had the momentum coming from the second half and they played a good game.
On positive aspects of the game …
In the first half it was a tight game. We were doing some things well. They were doing some things well. Like I said, in the second half the game kind of got away from us. We didn't want to give up big plays. That was one of the things Coach stressed during the week and unfortunately we gave up some big plays. Those plays gave them the momentum and let the game get away from us, but I think we did some positive things in the running game during the second half. I think we did some positive things moving the ball. Defensively, I thought we did some positive things as far as making sure the guys were back for most of the game. There were a lot of different things we did during this game that were positive.
On playing after missing the preseason …
I felt pretty sharp. I felt good physically. The trainers did a really good job of getting me back on the field. I felt like I ran hard. Unfortunately, we were behind and didn't get a chance to run the ball as much as we could have, but we just have to forget about this loss and move on to the next week against Baltimore.
On screaming out after his long run in the third quarter …
It's frustrating when you can't get into the open field and do what you do, but I play with a lot of emotion when I'm out there. I'm really into the football game and that being the first big run and positive run of the game, I was excited. That was what I was feeling at the time. So during the course of the game, depending on how I'm feeling, I may yell or do whatever I need to do to get the offensive line going and lead by example. If they see me excited and see me out there happy to make plays, that's going to motivate them, too.
QB CHAD PENNINGTON
On his first thoughts on getting injured …
I really never had a lower leg injury before, so I was just trying to walk it off. I'm not going to lay there, I know that. I'm going to walk off the field, try to get back into the game, which I was able to do, and take it from there.
On if he was surprised about getting back into the game after the injury …
It's frustrating. Injuries are part of the game, but it's frustrating. I didn't know what to think. Like all of my other injuries, I've never experienced this, I've never had to go through this. I wanted to let the doctors look at it, then get back out there.
On missing any extended time because of this injury …
I have no idea. I am sure I will see the doctors frequently this week and we'll see what happens.
On slamming his helmet on the sidelines after the injury …
Yes, I was frustrated.
On New England's play today …
They get a really good pass rush. They've got some unique defensive linemen that can run the 3-4 defense and two-gap but then also have the ability to push the pocket and get upfield. You don't find that. Normally defensive linemen are stout on the run but then can't rush the passer or vice versa. These guys, they do a good job of both. They presented some problems for us. We were just inconsistent with it. There were times we were able to get the ball out, get our guys some space, make some plays in the passing game. Then there were other times where they were able to push the pocket and get in relatively quickly.
On the difficulty in playing after the injury …
I was trying to rely on my experience from the [2005] Jacksonville game and trying to stay focused. Even though I felt unstable, I felt like I was seeing things well throughout the game. I could still get the ball to our playmakers. At that point in the game, we still had the threat of trying to run the football because it was still early, so I felt like I could still get back out there and help us.
On if someone fell on his injured leg during the QB sneak at the goal line …
No, but I was really glad that they didn't.
On his desire to go for it on fourth-and-1 on the opening drive …
As players we trust Coach Mangini with his decisions and we don't second-guess those things. Early in the game it was one of those things where you look like heroes if it happens and you look like the goat if it doesn't happen. Right there, we went the safe route. We got the punt to about the 9-yard line which we felt really good about, so I didn't have a problem with that.
On if the cheering for Kellen Clemens surprised him …
When I was a backup on our team, the crowd cheered for me, too. I would hope that our team would support anyone that's out there. They gave him a cheer and I'm glad they did. He needs support; our whole team needs support. There is nothing wrong with that.
On finally coming out of the game …
With six minutes left, down, 31-14, I had to for the first time be brutally honest with myself as far as injuries are concerned and saying without the threat of the run, I'm kind of a sitting duck back there. I just didn't feel like it would be smart either for me or my teammates to go back in with six minutes left.
On if it was his call to reenter the game …
At that point in time, it's not the lack of the running game, but it's that you are down 17 points. They are not going to respect the running game. They are going to pin their ears pack and rush the passer because you have to put points on the board quickly. The second touchdown drive, you saw we did have some burst with the running game. That's something we have to continually work on. We didn't line up against a defense that was a poor run defense. They are pretty stout and do a great job with their front seven. What we have to do is look at it and see where we can get better.
On what was discussed on the sideline about him reentering the game …
They asked me if I could go back in and I said yes. So I went back in.
On if the Patriots are that much better than the Jets …
When you look at the game, they beat us in all three phases and that's why the score ended the way it ended. We didn't tie any phase and we didn't have an edge in any phase. They had the kickoff return, they were very solid on offense and were pretty stingy on defense. When that happens, that's not a recipe for success. When you play against a really good team like that, you have to find an edge and take advantage of that. We didn't have an edge today. They had all three edges on us. That's something I hope we can get better at.
On playing next week …
I don't know what's going to happen. We'll work hard. That's one thing I pride myself on doing, working hard and putting my nose to the grindstone and doing everything I can to be available.
On putting himself at risk by reentering the game …
I have a lot of respect for this game and this game is a game where you're going to get dinged up. You take some hits and you may have to deal with some minor things and even major things. I don't make my decision on playing looking into the future. I make my decision on the present and whether or not I can help my team at the time.
On why he continued to play despite his injury …
My mindset hasn't changed as far as trying to play. I'm going to do everything I can to be available. That's not going to change. Based upon my past experience, though, sometimes that's out of your control.
On trying a QB sneak with a sore ankle ...
We are going to do what we can to win the football game. We were able to sneak in one time on a third down on our scoring drive where we got 12 men on the field and that was effective, and we tried to do it again. At that time, Coach was going to try to call the plays to help us win, and if I'm out there, I'm saying that I can run our plays.
On being injured in the Jacksonville game and why this situation was different …
It remains to be seen. That's something that is up to us as a team to pull together and fight through a loss like this; fight through the adversity, which in the past we've been pretty good at. We're going to fight through this and that's why it's a 16-game season. I felt like we had a really good plan going in and offensively we had some bursts of excitement, some really positive things that happened with our guys out in space and we were able to make plays and do some exciting things that was presenting them problems. What we have to do is look at those things, build upon those things and be very critical of the errors and mistakes that we made and move on. Even if you win this game, you don't say, "Well, we can roll our helmets out there from now on because we've made it" because we haven't made it. It's a 16-game season and they are all important.
On whether his injury is a high-ankle sprain ...
I have no idea. I don't have any experience, other than playing basketball in high school, that's about all the experience I have with lower leg injuries.
On not going back in with six minutes left …
I discussed it with Eric and I felt like with six minutes left in the game and being down, 31-14, and having to drop back every play knowing that they are going to rush the passer and probably blitz, that it wasn't good for our team and it wasn't good for me. That's the first time I've ever done that. It was a very hard, difficult discussion and decision to make.
CB DARRELLE REVIS
On playing against Tom Brady …
He made big plays. He was in the pocket and found his receivers, his playmakers, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. That's something Brady did a great job with.
On starting the season with a loss …
Nobody wants to lose the first game. This was a big game for us, opening day or not. Their playmakers came out and made big plays. Brady is the mastermind on offense. He did his job well today.
On how long the loss will linger in his mind…
We have to get right back. We have to get this out of our mind right now and get focused on our next opponent.
LB JONATHAN VILMA
On Ellis Hobbs' touchdown return …
That was tough to swallow. The good thing was that our offense went out there and put together a pretty good drive. It's tough for us because we're usually pretty good on special teams, but on that play we weren't.
On what Randy Moss adds to the Patriots' offense …
The deep ball, obviously. He hit us with a couple of deep balls, so he brings that to the table for them. Of course, everyone knows that, but you still have to stop him.
On losing the opening game …
It's a little discouraging. You always want to play better in the first game, but it's not the end of the season for us. We have 15 games left. It's just a matter of going back, regrouping and getting ready for Baltimore.
On the adjustments that need to be made …
Stopping big plays. We had them in a lot of third downs. On third-and-nine we gave up 11 yards. On third-and-10 they hit us for a big one. On second-and-long they hit us for a long bomb.
On the Patriots pass protection…
They did a good job pass-protecting. They did some things different on the offensive line to hold us. They did a good job with that. They kept their backs in and their receivers got open.
